The door falls into place with a soft click. Then, the key turns twice in the lock, securing the door firmly. She turns around, her black hair tied loosely into a bun. The woman begins to walk down the stairs of her apartment building with her phone in hand and her backpack draped over her shoulders. Her eyes are focused on the flickering screen of her phone while she steps down the staircase. Step by step, she makes her way downwards.
She was so fixated on the bright colors popping up on the little rectangle that she missed the last step of the stair section. Her body tumbled forward but luckily, she was able to catch herself in the last second. Otherwise, she would've hit the wall which wouldn't have been a good start into her night shift. A soft sigh and a mumbled curse escape her lips as she takes a moment to gather herself again. As small and as inconvenient as that trip was, it still was a small heart attack for her. After a few seconds and a couple of deep breaths she opens her eyes again. Her pupils dilating in the dark space, pushing her green iris to the edge. Her brows draw together as she scans the dimly lit staircase. The moon shines through the small window in the wall behind her and casts the simplicity of the stairs in soft shadows. Yet, something seems off. She could've sworn she was already further down the stairs. She stands there for a bit longer, assessing the situation before shrugging her shoulders and resuming to walk downstairs. Thinking nothing more of that strange feeling just mere seconds ago that was nagging at her perspective of space. But this time, as she's making her way down, she doesn't look at her phone. No, this time she looks straight ahead and watches her steps.
After about two minutes, the woman stops. She's starting to feel frustrated and confused because she still has not reached the end of the staircase of her apartment building. She steps towards the banister and leans over it a bit to look down. Her black hair falls forward slightly as she peeks down. A small green glowing sign reading "Exit" is hung up on the wall right next to the front door. That is where she wants to go. That is what she wants to reach. But she's walking way longer than usual, and it seems to her as if those damn stairs never end. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths to calm down. She tells herself that this cannot be true, that this all is just a weird constellation made up by her mind, pure fantasy. Her eyelids slowly lift again, and she resumes to walk.
She walks, step by step, down the stairs. Her footsteps are getting quicker and quicker. Once again, she comes to an abrupt halt and leans over the banister to see how far she has gotten. Her eyes widen in shock. The bottom floor seems to be as far away as when she first looked over the banister. She takes a few steps back and looks around. "Am I dreaming? I must still be in bed, surely", she tries to convince herself, "and all of this is solely a weird nightmare." She nears the banister again with slow, hesitant steps. This time she looks up, but all her sight can take in is pitch black darkness.
She lifts her hand which is still holding onto her phone firmly. With a flick of her finger, she switches on the flashlight of her phone and points it upwards. Nothing. She can see absolutely nothing. It's like the light from her phone is being swallowed whole by the darkness. With her other hand she tries to make the flashlight brighter but accidentally switches on the camera in the process. Her eyebrows shoot up and her pupils narrow with shock. She can't believe what she sees on her phone screen. White figures with dark eyes are leaning over the banister of the upper parts of the staircase. Each of these creatures has a huge smile without teeth plastered on their face. The woman forces herself to stay put and not make any sudden movements. Even though her instincts tell her to sprint down the stairs and never look up there again. But she forces herself to stay perfectly still even though all her senses scream at her to get the f*ck out of there. She knows running away won't solve this issue because she can't seem to reach the bottom floor, ever. She's also aware that jumping down the middle is a very painful option. From this height she'll definitely break her legs, if she even manages to land good enough. If not, her lights of life will be blown out forever.
She backs away from the banister with very slow and deliberate movements. Her wide eyes are glued to the screen. She turns to continue walking, hoping there will be no such creatures on her endless way downwards. Her foot reaches the next step and then the next and so on. Careful with her every step and her gaze focused on her phone screen, she makes progress.
The woman just moves forward, she doesn't think about checking how far she's gotten. All she can think about is her wish to flee out of this nightmare while she questions if those creatures are friendly or not. She has lost her sense of time entirely and doesn't know how long she has been trapped in here for.
Her foot pauses mid step when she feels a soft breeze brushing past the nape of her neck. Is it the wind? No, there is little to no real air circulation in this staircase, so it certainly can't be the wind. It feels more like someone, or something is breathing down her neck. She swallows hard even though her mouth feels dry. With trembling fingers, she changes the camera setting to selfie-mode.
The last thing she sees is one of those plain white faces peeking over her shoulder with that horrifying smile. The last thing she can feel is a sharp pain zipping through her neck. Then a brutal and gut-wrenching scream echoes through the staircase. The phone meets the floor, and the screen cracks right at the corner, ripping the glass screen apart in the process.
The green sign near the front door of the apartment building which signals the exit of the staircase flickers slightly as the staircase returns to complete silence.
